This project continues to be directed towards understanding how a cell coordinates the expression of its genetic repertoire during both normal growth and unbalanced nutritional deficiencies. Previous project work has described the discovery, characterization and regulatory attributes of a regulatory nucleotide (ppGpp) that is thought to participate in the regulation of about half of the genes of E. coli. We discovered that ppGpp can protect the cell from otherwise lethal consequences of amino acids starvation as judged by the fact that mutants totally lacking ppGpp are killed by amino acid starvation. We have engineered a system for studying promoter structural determinants for regulation of gene expression. The S30 assay system for in vitro gene expression has been made about 100-fold more sensitive by genetically eliminating DNA exonuclease activity.